Marriage, ladies and gentlemen. Marriage is a game mechanic, or at least it will be early next month when update 1.7 goes live for Trion Worlds' MMO Rift. They'll be celebrating the new feature on February 14 by attempting to establish the World Record for most in-game marriages in a 24-hour period. Where's that Divorce Paper vendor again?

There are plenty of reasons to get a virtual marriage in a massively multiplayer game, and most of them are horrible. Speaking as a man that will one day write a book about all of the horrible relationships I've had that spawned from online games, don't do it. Just don't.

Unless a World Record attempt is involved, of course.

Rift's new wedding system makes it easy to marry the man, woman, or man you think is a woman. Simply purchase a wedding ring from a vendor, offer it to your loved one, and BAM! You've done something stupid. Or one can go the more elaborate route, launching a lavish scripted wedding event for several hundred of their close friends.

Trion Worlds would suggest you wait until February 14, Valentine's Day, to make things official. That ensures the blessed union of virtual souls counts towards the record. If you just can't wait, however, do not fret - those divorce papers I mentioned earlier are a real thing.